Local Man’s Legs Amputated After Allergic Reaction to Fried Food at Arkansas State Fair

Little Rock — A local man received an emergency double amputation on both legs last night after an allergic reaction to the grease used in a number of fried foods at the Arkansas State Fair.

Daniel Walker, 31, was attending the fair Thursday afternoon on a writing assignment for local food blog Eat Arkansas, reviewing the top deep fried food items at this year’s fair. After sampling deep fried avocado, bacon, Twinkies, jello, mashed potatoes, and Red Lobster biscuits Walker began experiencing a rapid swelling around his face and abdomen.

“He looked over at me and said his mouth was going numb,” fellow writer Kevin Shalin, who had accompanied Walker to the fair, tells us. “By the way he was talking it sounded like his mouth was full. So I told him to suck it up and go over and get me some deep fried sushi rolls. When he was walking away I noticed his butt was about 3 times its normal size and his pants looked like they were going to split. That is when I knew there might be a real problem.”

Walker was rushed to the fair’s first aid tent where an ambulance was immediately dispatched. Walker was wearing a pair of red girls skinny jeans that had been turned into shorts (seen in the photo above shortly before the accident). The tight jeans began to cut off circulation to Walker’s legs. By the time an Ambulance arrived Walker’s legs had began to turn black.

“It was a scary moment, the EMT couldn’t remove Dan’s jorts to get circulation back into his legs. He said he needed an immediate amputation to save his life,” Shalin tells us. “The ambulance was not equipped to handle that type of operation. Fortunately some guys nearby setting up at the livestock barn had a cup dehorner used to cut cow horns. Wow that was gruesome.”

Doctors say the cause of the allergic reaction was the grease used to cook the food. “He likely has had a very mild allergy his whole life and never noticed it,” Dr. John Stone, an allergist at UAMS tells us. “When he consumed such a massive amount of grease his body released an excessive amount of mast cells containing histamine that caused swelling under the skin. He probably could have had an epinephrine shot, but amputating his legs worked too I suppose.”

Walker is said to be recovering at UAMS where he will undergo physical therapy over the next 6 months. His family released a statement saying he is in good spirits and has been watching Forrest Gump while he rests.